Build "The Milk Truck" FJ45 Preservation Sorta

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I pulled the roll bar out of the bed to finish welding it up and hopefully paint it this weekend before it goes back in.

I had the ugly paint color matched in a few aerosol cans to cover up the inside of the bed where I plugged holes and enlarged the fender wells. I intentionally did a crappy tape job and then tried to blend the edges some. Considering it is a patina build the paint doesn’t need to be perfect I just wanted the bare welded seams to have some cover.

I hope it will blend better after I get to start using it.

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While the paint is drying on the roll bar, I installed the glass on the hardtop and the door locks. I really like the look without the roll bar, so I took it out for another test drive to get some glamour shots before the roll bar gets installed. I found that some of my noise was coming from the passenger front rotor shield, it was bent and touching the rotor. The fan has also been contacting the shroud when the motor flexes. Not real significant but the tip of the fan is wearing at the contact point. The easiest fix would be to cut the tip of the fan down some which is probably what I will do.

My attempt at glamour shots, lucky I have good scenery.

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Did you run out of lug nuts?
 
POPO AGIE said:
Did you run out of lug nuts?
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While I built it I only used three chrome lug nuts on each wheel to make it quicker to remove them for the build process. I cannot find the other half of those. What probably doesn’t show up well in the pictures is I used black lug nuts to make up the other half of the set. Each wheel does have six lug nuts on it.
 
That is good. Half of the lug nuts are stealth.
 
The roll bar is bolted in and I set the drawer system in the bed. It takes up most of the bed but will allow me secure gear and parts, so I don’t have to be too worried about leaving it parked. Currently I have some random junk in it. I cut a rubber stall mat to fit under it. I hope that will keep it quite.
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I set the spare tire in and it is only going to work resting flat on top. All the added weight brought the back down 3/4 inches. I will be installing 1” spring spacer in the rear tomorrow.
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I purchased these tube mounts that were advertised as bolt on tow points. I plan to bolt at least one in each corner to secure the drawer and I have another four to use where ever needed.
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It was a thought but I was out of pewter paint, so I went with black that I had on hand. I expect that I may end up pulling the cage out again to add an “X” bracing to the main hoop and will need to repaint it. I have limited time to work on it and really just want it usable for this summer, so I used what I had.

I do agree the silver would probably look better and likely what I will end up doing.
 
I installed the cargo loops on the roll bar and added some loops to the drawer system to tie it down with. They will also come in handy when I need to remove it.

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The best placement for a spare is flat on top of the box. I dug through my scraps and found a 40 series tire carrier to repurpose. I added some 2x2 steel to get the correct height and then a large plate to attach it to the box.
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I can use ratchet straps to secure the box but I hope to find a better method, maybe turnbuckles.
 
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The drawer system is painted and reinstalled with the spare bolted down. That wheel is heavy to get into the back of the truck.
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Those that appreciate and have had to dissmount Hutchinsons before will appreciate the next part maybe. I needed to swap two new tires on the front. I have done this before but wow trying to break the bead was extremely difficult before.

This time I opted to try and work a little easier. I drilled some holes into the base of my lift to be able to run straps across to each leg. After removing the air and the bead lock bolts I strapped one half of the rim to the arms of the lift and used the new strap location to strap the tire down. I sprayed a lubricant around the bead and struct the tire with a hammer after applying some tension with the lift. Worked great!

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I spooled the winch with synthetic line and installed the running boards.

I originally set the steering toe at 0 degrees or equal front to back. The truck handled well but seemed like it could be improved. I adjusted it to set the toe in about 3/16 of an inch. It feels and tracks much better.

I drove it 30 miles round trip this morning on pavement to get a better feel for it. The drive was uneventful but the the transmission seems to be slipping and I suspect it is what making all the noise not the transfercase.

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I decided to push it another 50 miles and hooked up the trailer to make a dump run. Four miles from home I was driving at a decent incline grade behind someone sight seeing. The transmission was struggling and shifting back and fourth to maintain the speed. The truck got hot, temperature at 221 degrees, and the truck shut off. It started back up and ran fine after the temperature dropped below 220 degrees.
It seems to get up to temperature quickly and runs around 210-215 degrees. I feel like it should be cooler. I may have to look into upgrading the fan clutch if that is possible.

I am starting to think all my noise is coming from the transmission not the transfercase. The transmission may be junk. At times it sounds dry and as if it is searching for a gear to shift into. Sometimes I have to run the rpm’s up to get it to shift. The fluid shows it is full but it I kinda feel like it is presenting as if the fluid is not flowing through as it should. I have never worked on an automatic transmission before, so I really have no idea but something is not right. Not sure what to expect. I may play with the shifter linkage first.

First day of work.
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I might add that I filled the tank up too. It holds about 30 gallons. Before I fill it up the 45 sat perfectly level after adding some 1” spacers to the rear springs. I figure if the drawer is load as well as the bed with gear I may have to go a little higher. To level it out. I am try to avoid it being really stiff when not loaded. I have a set of 2.5” one spring I may install and remove the spacers when I do.
 
whitey45 said:
Im voting for a 3rd pedal in the future😬
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I started this build with an h151 for the 2uz that I traded off and have recently bought back. It is currently sitting in my 80 series. I don’t have it drivable yet because I have been spending all my time getting the 45 road worthy. I currently have the h151 paired with a 2uz VVTI version. I can only imagine how that set up would turn the wheels in the 45.

Ultimately I opted for the auto in the trail truck because I wanted to be lazy as I drive around taking in the scenery. I could change my mind if this thing keeps giving me fits.
 
I swapped in the larger springs and there is no more sag in the rear.

I put the 45 on the lift and ran it through the gears in the air. I placed a stethoscope to the transmission and transfer case and the noise I am hearing seems to be coming out of the transfercase.

Looking deeper I found the nut on the transmission shifter linkage was gone creating play in the shifter. Seems possible that is was not engaging completely when in gear. Sadly it is in the toughest spot to reach. I either have to pull the seats, consoles, and trans cover out or see if I can tilt/drop the end trans down enough to get to it. Trying to lower it requires less bolt removal, so that is option A.
 
I got the transfercase shifter linkage all sorted out. It certainly tightened it up but didn’t solve the problem. I took it for a drive after and it just doesn’t want to shift into first gear without running the rpm’s up at which point it shifts pretty hard, hard enough it will slam and cherp the tires. Even at speed It seems to run pretty high before shifting between gears. After it is in gear it holds just fine. I don’t see the transfercase causing these issues.

I won’t be able to work on it again until the weekend before SAS. I think me best option is to swap the transmission for another that I already have that is supposed to be good with 106k miles on it. Unless something else comes I know what I will be doing before the trip. Hopefully I can get it done.

It is a little deflating as I was really hoping to have it buttoned up enough to relax before the trip. Bummer but I have options on hand already at least I just have to find time.
 
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